Moto G

With the ramp up to Christmas well and truly underway, retailers will spend the next couple of weeks offering discounts on some great products. Even though Black Friday weekend has come and gone, there are still some noteworthy discounts out there. On Amazon, right now, you can pick up the 2nd generation Moto G for just $99, unlocked. That’s a discount of $80 on the original $179 price-point. Incidentally, that’s the same price it’s being sold for at Motorola and Best Buy currently.

As specs go, it’s a respectable smartphone, especially given the outlay. It has a 5-inch 720p display, 2070mAh battery, quad-core processor and runs an almost-stock version of Android. What’s more, Motorola has committed to bringing Android 6.0 Marshmallow to it at some point over the next few weeks.

At this price, I can’t imagine anyone will regret buying it. For the past few years, the Moto G has set the standard for other budget smartphones to follow. That’s why the most recent model, the 3rd gen Moto G, made it on to my list of 2015’s best budget smartphones.

5 best affordable Android phones of 2015 [Video]

Cam Bunton Dec 8 2015 - 3:41 pm PT

We’re fast approaching the end of the year, and before we hit CES-season and look forward to some of the new devices hitting the market in 2016, it’s time to look back at some of the devices that won our hearts and impressed us during this year. First up, we’re starting with some of this year’s best budget phones…

Opinion: Are sub-$100 Android phones and tablets Google’s gateway drugs to hook iOS users?

Jeremy Horwitz Dec 8 2015 - 9:36 am PT

I’ve been an iOS user since day one — back when it was called “iPhone OS” — and haven’t had any reason to leave Apple’s camp. Each day, I use iOS devices and apps, and for the most part, they “just work.” You could offer me a cheap Android phone or tablet and I wouldn’t have much use for it.

Or so I thought. Just in time for the holidays, 9to5’s publisher Seth Weintraub sent me an unexpected gift: a $99 Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen), also available on Amazon. That price isn’t a typo — for under $100 (half the price of the recently released sixth-generation iPod touch), Motorola is selling a full-fledged smartphone with a larger, higher-resolution screen than the $199 iPod, and for that matter the old iPhone 5c I decided to replace it with. You’ve probably heard that Amazon is trying a similar tactic with its $49 7″ Fire Tablets, which so radically undercut the price of Apple’s iPads that you can buy five for the same price as an entry-level iPad mini 2… and still have change left over. Since these products were developed by well-established companies, they’re budget-priced, but not junk.

I wanted to see whether the Moto G would have any value in my life, and how it would stack up against lower-end iOS devices. What I found was exactly the reason Apple leads the cellular industry in profits yet continues to lag behind Android in market share: the Moto G offers a more than “good enough” alternative at a price that anyone can afford. From my perspective, the existence of a good $99 smartphone is precisely the reason the iPod family has all but disappeared, and why even iPad mini pricing is arguably unsustainable…

9to5Toys Cyber Monday: Galaxy Tab S2 $340, Kindle Fire HD 10 $170, Fitbit deals, more

Stephen Hall Nov 30 2015 - 1:52 pm PT

Black Friday brought some of the best Google-y deals we’ve seen this year, but the fun’s not over yet. Cyber Monday is now here, and — as usual — there are some great discounts to be found all across the web. We found some of the best Android picks earlier today, but here’s a bigger roundup of some of the best-of-the-best Cyber Monday deals you’ll find. For Google lovers and the not-so-Google lovers alike, you’ll almost surely find something in this roundup worthy of adding to your cart…

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Cyber Monday Android deals: $60 off Kindle Fire HD 10, Moto G 2 for $99, prepaid LG for $15, more

Cam Bunton Nov 30 2015 - 3:08 am PT

Black Friday may have come and gone, but tech companies and retailers are keen to keep the discounts running through this week with their annual Cyber Monday deals. Whether you’re looking to get yourself a new smartphone or tablet, or buy one for a friend/family member, there are plenty of good discounts to be had this week…

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Moto G gets ‘Turbo Edition’ in Mexico

Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 1:29 am PT

CORRECTION: Motorola got in touch with us to say that the Turbo Edition, like the regular Moto G, has a 720p screen. So, not quite as tempting for the bump in price.

Over the past few years we’ve seen a rise of affordable smartphones offering a great experience to buyers. The original Moto G was, arguably, the phone that kicked it off, right at the bottom end of the market. This year, we saw the arrival of the 3rd generation which still offers a lot of bang for your buck. In Mexico, Motorola just released an even better model. It costs a little extra, but looks like it’ll easily be worth the outlay…

9to5Toys Lunch Break: 2nd generation Moto G (unlocked) $119, USB power deals, more

Stephen Hall Oct 26 2015 - 1:57 pm PT

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Unlocked Motorola Moto G (2nd generation) 8GB white: $119 shipped (Reg. $180) | Amazon

USB Roundup: Aukey 5000mAh Charger + MFi Lightning Cable $15 (Reg. $21), Lumsing 13400mAh Power bank $23, more

Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

Best Buy lands the first major blow in this year’s battle for holiday shoppers

Amazon thinks leaving your house is over-rated, expands Prime free same-day delivery service

Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more

More new gear from today:

Fashion deals at Amazon – extra 20% off fall athletic/outdoor shoes: Caterpillar boots $52, ASICS running shoes $40, more

GoPro HERO4 Session action camera w/ $40 Amazon Gift Card: $275 shipped ($340 value)
Headphones: Audio-Technica Over-Ears $135, JayBird Bluetooth In-ears $102, more
Protect your new iPad mini 4 with this folio smart case: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $10)
Daily Deals: Garmin Nüvi 5-inch GPS $150, Foscam HD Wireless Plug & Play IP Camera $60, more
Games/Apps: Fallout 4 pre-order (Prime only) $50, Nathan Drake PS4 bundle w/ Destiny $350, iOS freebies, more
$100 iTunes Gift Card for $75 with email delivery from PayPal (25% off), more
The eora 3D scanner uses your iPhone to create 360-degree models of anything
Belkin’s new lightweight QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 is now available

More deals still alive:

Gift Cards up to 20% off: JCPenney, Sports Authority, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Mailman ($4 value)

proXPN VPN: Premium Lifetime Subscription for $39 ($375 value)
Get started with Google’s Express delivery service: $35 credit for $10
Marvel’s limited edition 13-disc Phase Two Blu-ray collection arrives just in time for the holidays
Freebies: Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack + METRO 2033 eBook + Redbox movie/game rental + More!
Seagate 4TB Portable USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $150 shipped
Netflix November Preview: Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Seven Deadly Sins, Aziz Ansari, more
Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface + Sennheiser HD600 + Condenser Mic $400 shipped ($655 value)
TP-Link Archer C7 802.11ac Router + DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem $130 shipped ($155+ value)
GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera w/ built-in LCD display: $329 shipped (Reg. $400)
VIZIO 2.1 Sound Stand w/ subwoofer & remote $100 shipped (Orig. $250)
KMASHI 10,000mAh Battery $9 (Reg. $14), 6-Ft. Braided MFi Lightning Cable $8.50, more
Media: Spider-Man Blu-ray Trilogy $14 (Reg. $32), $1 HD movie rentals, more
2.1-Ch. Home Audio: LG Soundbar 120W (refurb) $65 (Orig. $149)
Acer Chromebook 1.50GHz/4GB/16GB SSD: $249 shipped (Reg. $279)
Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts
Ticket To Ride goes free on iPhone for the first time in years (Reg. $2)
50% off Fashion Sales: PUMA – Down Jacket $75 (Orig. $150), more
Samsung Smart 4K HDTVs: 40-inch $550 (Reg. $700+), 50-inch $699 (Reg. $1,000+)
Jawbone UP Move Activity Tracker: $20 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $50)
Display your iPhone 6/s w/ this Mpow Car Air Vent Mount $5 shipped (Reg. $9)
Adjustable iPad mount for $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

New products & more:

Dyson’s pricey 360 Eye robo-vac finally sees the light of day

Use your smartphone as a controller for these AirConsole Mac/PC browser games

The MiniBrew launches on Indiegogo as an iPhone-connected way to make your own beer
Bird of Prey’s prone-style bicycle puts the rider facedown while riding
Garmin drops the bulk and adds color with its new Forerunner wearables
D-Link’s latest surveillance cameras go wide-angle with “less distortion” than the competition
Libratone introduces multi-room audio alongside two new colorful ZIPP speakers
Guitar Hero Live lands on iOS with a new mobile instrument bundle
Gold is Best: This one-off Macintosh is a must see with its walnut enclosure and shiny keyboard
This mini Segway hopes to take-off with its affordable price tag and compact design
You’ll have to hurry to grab one of these limited edition Fallout 4 Xbox One controllers

Moto G 3rd Gen hits Virgin for $149.99 (and HTC Desire 626 or Huawei Union) on low cost plans

Seth Weintraub Oct 19 2015 - 10:11 am PT

The Moto G has always been a great deal but it hasn’t been paired with the best budget carriers to date. In what might be a big holiday seller for mid-tier users, Sprint subsidy Virgin today began offering 3 new Android smartphones including the Moto G 3rd gen. for $150, the HTC Desire 626s for $130 and Huawei Union at $80.

The standout here is the Moto G which I absolutely loved (with a few caveats) which retails at $180. The 5-inch phone is pretty close to flagship level last year with a few missing bits. The 5 inch screen is perfect sized but the lack of NFC payment options might be a turn off. It shares the camera of the Nexus 6 and it is IPX7 waterproof to 3 feet for 30 minutes. Hopefully Virgin won’t mess with the almost stock Android and provide timely updates (fingers crossed)

That $30 you save you can pay your 1st month of usage on the 3 gig 4G of data plan (see plans below). While Sprint’s network may not be the strongest in all areas, I’ve found it to be improving rapidly lately.

The Moto G will almost certainly be the first Android 6.0 device on Virgin and at $150 down and $30/month a great gift idea for the kids/parents/grandparents out there. Alternatively, if you want to use an Android device like an iPod touch (without a carrier) this is the first $30 discount we’ve seen.
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PSA: 3rd gen. Moto G (2015) now getting CyanogenMod nightlies

Stephen Hall Sep 23 2015 - 9:00 am PT

CyanogenMod nightly builds are available on a plethora of devices, and now you can add one more to the list. Motorola’s Moto G (2015), codenamed osprey, started receiving nightly builds of CyanogenMod 12.1 last night. There aren’t many better devices to play with some custom ROMs, considering you can grab one on Amazon for just $179.

We gave the Moto G (2015) a quick look just 36 hours after we first got our hands on it. And based on our initial impression at least, this is probably one of the best phones you can buy in the $100-$200 range. With a decent display, crazy battery life, and a price that fits the package, it’s a no-brainer if you’re looking for a phone for your kids (or to tinker with).

(via Android Police)

Moto X Play Review: A serious mid-tier phone without the flagship features and price [Video]

Cam Bunton Sep 4 2015 - 12:11 pm PT

As far as the major manufacturers go, Motorola is one of the few trying to push the boundaries of what we should expect to get for our money. It wants to give us the best mobile Android experience possible for each price range. The Moto G is the king of the low-end phones and the Moto X has been a wonderful high-end phone. The Moto X Play sort of sits in between, and despite not being absolutely perfect, it’s a very good phone overall.

Motorola confirms StageFright bug fix coming to 11 smartphone lines including new Moto X and Moto G

Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 3:15 am PT

Motorola has joined several other Android OEMs in confirming that it will be rolling out a StageFright software fix for many of its popular smartphone lines. As you’d expect, this includes the newly announced Moto X and Moto G handsets as well as a number of older devices.

The new devices will be patched from launch, while others may be subject to the usual carrier approval and testing. Carrier partners will receive the software and start testing on August 10th. In all, there are 200 variants of software to be patched, tested and released. So it could take time for you to get your fix.

The list of devices includes:

Moto X Style (patched from launch)
Moto X Play (patched from launch)
Moto X (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
Moto X Pro
Moto Maxx/Turbo
Moto G (1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen)
Moto G with 4G LTE (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
Moto E (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
Moto E with 4G LTE (2nd Gen)
DROID Turbo
DROID Ultra/Mini/Maxx

As I’m sure you’re now aware, it recently came to light that Android had a serious, gaping hole left in its coding. Dubbed ‘Android’s worst vulnerability in Mobile OS history‘ StageFright would essentially allow anyone with the ability and motive to include malware in any video MMS message. It could potentially affect your phone before you even open or see the message. To be safe, be sure to read our guide on how you can protect yourself against it until your software fix arrives.

Moto G 2015 36-hour review: This is the perfect $179 smartphone…for my kids

Seth Weintraub Jul 30 2015 - 8:31 am PT

6 Comments

I’ve long been a fan of what Motorola has been doing with their smartphones and peripherals, and this week’s announcements are no exception. Both of the headphones Moto released, the Moto Surround and especially the Moto Pulse are top notch. I’ve been using the Pulse exclusively since the event and couldn’t be happier. They are so light that you forget they’re even on your head, while at the same time they have a mic for calls, a battery meter on your phone ,and they swivel so they pack flat. Oh and the sound is excellent – comparable to a $200 set of heavy cans from other mid/high tier vendors. At $60, the Pulse headphones are a no-brainer if you need light over-ears for a reasonable price.

But the Moto G 3rd edition is what we’re here to talk about…
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PSA: ‘Moto X Style’ is simply ‘Moto X Pure Edition’ in the US

Stephen Hall Jul 28 2015 - 9:49 am PT

Motorola announced two new Moto X variants this morning, but the company didn’t do a great job of clarifying in its multi-national livestream exactly how the phones would be marketed in the United States. First, as we mentioned, there aren’t any plans to bring the Moto X Play to the US at all at this point. But secondly, and perhaps more confusingly, the Moto X Style isn’t really coming to the US, either. In the United States, the equivalent of the Moto X Style will simply be called “Moto X Pure Edition”.
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Motorola officially announces the 3rd generation Moto G

Stephen Hall Jul 28 2015 - 6:26 am PT

After almost a dozen leaks over the last couple of months, Motorola has today made the 2015 Moto G official. As with previous years, this handset is made for the budget-minded customer in mind, but it definitely is one of the better options in its class and you won’t be sacrificing much in terms of the overall Android experience…

3rd generation Moto G gets unboxed early, comes with 2 swappable back covers

Stephen Hall Jul 27 2015 - 8:46 am PT

Motorola has at least a few major announcements scheduled for tomorrow, but it looks like there aren’t going to be many surprises when it comes to the new Moto G. We’ve seen almost a dozen leaks already (including renders, more renders, real photos, more real photos, and even more real photos), but now we have what is essentially a full reveal. The packaging is in another language, but this unboxing is probably the clearest look we’ve had yet at what the company is going to be showing off tomorrow…
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Moto G expected to launch July 29th with Moto Maker in stores

Cam Bunton Jul 27 2015 - 8:06 am PT

A new report claims that Motorola will be launching its next budget-friendly Moto in stores on July 29th, just one day after its launch event. But that’s not the most exciting part of the story. If the leaked retail memos are genuine, customers will be able to walk in to stores and order their personalized Moto Maker device from a physical, brick-and-mortar store…
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Full 2015 Moto G spec sheet leaks, includes Snapdragon 410, 5-inch screen, more

Stephen Hall Jul 24 2015 - 11:47 am PT

It looks like there aren’t going to be any surprises at all come next week. Earlier today, we told you that some of the best images of the Moto G we’ve seen yet leaked thanks to LaptopMedia, and now the same publication has studied their device and put together an entire spec sheet…
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New images of the 2015 Moto G leak out, give us our best look yet [Gallery]

Stephen Hall Jul 24 2015 - 9:48 am PT

It seems like Motorola might be the new lead contender for worst-secret-keeper-ever. As I said earlier this week, we’ve seen renders, more renders, real photos, more real photos, and even more real photos of the 2015 Moto G leak over the last couple of months. And now, thanks to some new almost-certainly-legit photos (via LaptopMedia), we have what is now our best look yet at the new Moto G…

2015 Moto G shown off in leaked promo video ahead of July 28 unveiling

Chance Miller Jul 23 2015 - 3:36 pm PT

A new video has surfaced that claims to showcase the upcoming 3rd generation Moto G. The clip, which appears to be a promo video straight from Motorola, shows the device in all of its glory and reveals several specifications.

Moto G (2015) Moto Maker customization options revealed

Cam Bunton Jul 23 2015 - 4:56 am PT

We read rumors a while back that Motorola would be adding this year’s upcoming Moto G to its popular Moto Maker customization service. Like the Moto X, you’ll be able to order the Moto G with your choice of front or back color, as well as various metallic accent hues.

Thanks to a recent leak that made its way to Reddit, we now have a better idea of all the options available. First, you’ll be able to choose either white or black on the front housing. There will be a total of ten rear housing colors to choose from, including cherry, cabernet, blue, raspberry, turquoise, black, gold yellow, white, lime and navy. Metallic accent options will also include ten colors. These will presumably be on the front speaker/earpiece, and metal camera housing on the back.

Unlike the Moto X, there doesn’t seem to be an option to add a luxury material like wood or leather. However, it does appear that we’ll get a choice between an 8GB or 16GB model. The latter will also have 2GB RAM. There’s also going to be five FlipShell cases, costing just under $20 and a number of wallpapers to have pre-loaded on the home screen. You can see the leak in all it’s glory below:

The entire Motorola lineup is expected to get something of a design refresh this year. Although the general shape and look of the phones will largely be the same, the camera and Moto ‘dimple’ housing on the back will be changed. While the design between the Moto G and Moto X is likely going to be similar, as it usually is, this will be the first time that both have been available on Moto Maker.

Although we can’t take any leaks or rumors as being concrete evidence, there’s perhaps enough here to start piecing together what Motorola might announce at its event on July 28.

Leaked 3rd gen Moto G dummy unit confirms IPX7 certification, 2470 mAh battery, more

Stephen Hall Jul 20 2015 - 9:15 pm PT

As Motorola’s July 28th event draws near, more and more leaked images and renders of the upcoming Motorola handset refreshes continue to hit the Internet. This time we’re getting a look at leaked images (via MobileSyrup) of what is assumably a 3rd gen Moto G display dummy unit, and there just so happens to be a sticker affixed that confirms some previously rumored specifications of the device…
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Motorola invites you to find your ‘perfect Moto match’ at July 28th event

Stephen Hall Jul 16 2015 - 6:14 am PT

Motorola has announced today that it is holding an event on July 28th. And yes, this all but surely means that we’ll be seeing the much-rumored 2015 Moto X and 2015 Moto G, and maybe even the next Moto 360 as well…
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2015 Moto G allegedly shown off in leaked real-life pics

Cam Bunton Jul 16 2015 - 3:05 am PT